South-East Queensland facing extended lockdown, top doctor warns
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Health workers at a pop up testing clinic at Indooroopilly State High School, on July 31.
South-east Queensland is facing the prospect of an extended lockdown, a top doctor has warned.
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Chris Perry, Australian Medical Association Queensland president, told Today the COVID-19 cluster was escalating rapidly and authorities would likely extend the lockdown for the state’s south-east beyond tomorrow.
“I don’t think it will stop tomorrow, but we hope it will … what we have to do to stop it from being even worse. We don’t want a lockdown that goes like a Victorian lockdown, we prefer one that goes a few days.”
READ MORE: Hundreds of troops to join police on Sydney’s streets from today
Yesterday Queensland recorded nine new COVID-19 cases – the biggest single-day increase in the state since the start of the coronavirus pandemic last year.
Dr Perry said Queensland health authorities are struggling to find the missing link from the recent cases – which includes a medical student who tutored at Indooroopilly High School in Brisbane and a karate school at nearby school.
READ MORE: McDonald’s and Bunnings among latest Queensland exposure sites
He says the outbreak poses a major problem for health authorities as they don’t know how it came to be in Queensland.
“We don’t know where it originally came from,” Dr Perry said.
“These massive schools that are in the western suburbs of Brisbane, but the problems are the two grammar schools which get pupils from all over South-East Queensland and they are large schools. This could run everywhere in the south east Queensland.”
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A long line of cars streams towards the COVID-19 testing centre in Toowong Drive, Brisbane.
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Yesterday, Queensland reported nine new cases of community transmission, bringing the total to 18.
‘Magnificent opportunity’
Former Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Coatsworth hoped the snap lockdown would end tomorrow but said the situation offered a “magnificent opportunity” to ramp up vaccination efforts.
Video: South-east Queensland wakes to first full day of its harshest lockdown yet (Today)
“There will be that anxiety (from Queenslanders) watching what’s happened in Sydney,” he told Today.
“But … there is national agreement that short, sharp lockdowns are necessary whilst our vaccination rates are increasing.
“This is the best chance that Queenslanders have to get the virus under control.”
He urged Queenslanders to “get out there” and have a Pfizer or AstraZeneca jab as soon as possible.
Dr Coatsworth said he had “every confidence” Australia could hit a 70 per cent fully vaccinated rate by the end of the year.
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Massive testing queues
9News reporter Reece D’Alessandro said queues at the Toowong Drive testing centre in Brisbane were “massive” this morning.
At 8am (AEST) there were at least 80 vehicles in line. Making matters worse, a car had broken down at the front of the queue.
D’Alessandro said some people in the line today had tried unsuccessfully to get a test yesterday.
“They are back here this morning and they are getting frustrated.”
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There are fears Queensland’s lockdown will extend as testing numbers in the state hit alarming lows.
‘A really irresponsible thing to do’
Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Steve Gollschewski has warned anti-lockdown protesters to they will be caught if they attend possible planned rallies across Brisbane today.
Police are cracking down on those breaking the rules with people being told to stay at home amid a rising number of cases.
“We had intelligence people are considering protests,” Mr Gollschewski told Today.
“Can I just say – we have said this consistently – now is not the time. This is a really irresponsible thing to do.
“Protesters should put the safety interests of their community ahead of their own views for now.
“They should expect police to be there if they do go ahead.”
He confirmed 57 infringement notices had been issued since the lockdown began, 29 for being outside of their homes without a valid reason.
Another 11 were issued for illegal gatherings while six people have been arrested.
Source: Thanks msn.com